Turkey Passes Bill Banning Social Media for Children Under 15

Turkey's parliament passed a bill on Wednesday banning social media for children under 15, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan having two weeks to sign it into law. The legislation requires tech companies to implement age verification, parental controls, and prompt removal of harmful content. The bill follows a school attack by a 14-year-old boy in southern Turkey that killed nine students and a teacher, after which Erdogan singled out social media. Erdogan previously called social media platforms "cesspools" corrupting children's minds. Turkey has a history of social media bans, including blocking Instagram for a week in 2024 and multiple bans on X/Twitter, including during the 2023 earthquake. The move aligns with a global trend: Australia banned social media for under-16s, the UK is considering a similar ban, France approved a ban for under-15s, Spain plans an under-16 ban, Denmark will move to ban for under-15s, and Norway, India, the Philippines, and Malaysia are considering measures.